Imperfectly Perfect
by asphodelthesmexypotato
Summary: Emily is like any other normal girl. She attends school,has a best friend who is like her sister, has grade tensions and an awkward social life. But what happens when an average, ordinary girl like her, falls for a smart, sexy and popular guy and also at the same time deal with the rising of The Dark and Lord and his followers? Read to find out.


**Prologue:**

"_Expecto Patronum!" _Tanya bellowed.

A tiny wisp of something silvery sort of substance whooshed out of her wand and disappeared into thin air. I did not know she could do the patronus charm. We were in our sixth year after all. We do not learn it until our final year. But Tanya has always been an exception.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _shetried once again only to fail at second attempt.

The dementors were now closing on us. The icy cold feeling, like all the happiness in the world was lost, dreaded upon on me. I took my wand out. But it was of no use. I did not know the patronus charm. On my other side, Lily mimicked my action but she seemed equally clueless as I. Tanya was our only hope.

"You guys have to try as well! I can't do it alone!" she pleaded, looking at the both of us, fear etching all over her face.

"I...I don't know. I have never attempted a patronus charm before."Lily said, tears almost rolling down her pale face.

"Come on, Tanya. You can do it! Think of something happy!" I yelled.

Tanya raised her wand once more.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

And out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but

a blinding, dazzling, silver four-legged animal. The deer -or whatever animal it was- dashed through the dementors, throwing them back.

It was a moment of relief before we realised that there were more dementors. Tanya was already collapsing. She clung on to me for support. The spell drained her of all her energy.

This is it. This is how we are going to die. Our souls sucked out of our bodies. The most terrible fate any human being can endure.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Two voices startled us from behind. We turned around to look who our saviours were. In a moment, a silver beautiful stag and a large dog came from behind and attacked the dementors. The dog banished the dementors by its huge paws and the stag took the dementors by its horns. Now both the animals were galloping around the black shapes on the ground, and the dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness...And they were gone.

"Emily, are you alright?" I heard a faint voice call me out.

The voice I heard was pretty familiar but I was not able to put my finger on whose voice it was.

"Em, Lily, can you hear us? If you can, please reply!"

That was James. That was definitely James Potter. One can recognise his husky voice from anywhere! That means the other person has to be Sirius. Oh, thank Merlin, they are here.

"Over here!" Lily called out. "Emily and I are fine but Tanya is-"

"What is wrong with her?!" James cut her across sharply.

"Nothing serious. She has fainted after conjuring the patronus." I assured him.

"She was able to conjure a patronus? A corporeal patronus?" Sirius asked, impressed.

"Yes, what-?" I asked, confused.

"A full-fledged patronus." explained Sirius.

"Oh, yeah. It was a deer or some other animal."

He nodded appreciatively.

"Can we discuss about this later?" James asked in a clipped voice. "We better take her Madam Pomfrey."

He conjured a stretcher out of thin air and we carefully laid Tanya, who was still unconscious, and took her to the hospital wing. We followed him and literally dashed into Prof. Dumbledore as we entered the hospital wing.

"Professor-" Sirius started but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Yes, Mr. Black I heard. We have sent the other professors to deal with the dementors. I would advise you take Ms. Black as soon as possible to Madam Pomfrey. I don't think she's under any immediate danger but let us not take any risks, shall we?" He then turned looked at Lily and me. "Ms. Evans, Ms. Scott, you would better go to the hospital wing as well. You look pale. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can give you something to make you feel better. The dementors are never charming, of course."

We both nodded. Dumbledore smiled kindly at us and hurried away from the room. We both were so exhausted that we just wanted to go to our dormitories and sleep. But apparently Madam Pomfrey had other plans.

"You can sleep after I've tended to you both!" she snapped when we told her.

"So, are you going to tell us or not?" Sirius asked us, after a while.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"How did you girls end up in the forbidden forest? And the dementors!" he exclaimed.

Lily looked at me. "You want to tell or shall I?"

I shook my head. I was in no mood of story-telling. I was just simply staring at my best friend who was blissfully sleeping in the nearby bed. If she was not there with us, we may have not survived the dementors' attack.

I still remember the day I met her. She was a pompous, energetic, little girl who loved to talk. A lot. Of course, she still hasn't changed one bit. I promised myself, back then, that I wouldn't get within a five-mile radius of her. We were as different as chalk and cheese. But as times changed, I have got used to her. So much, that even a single day without her is unimaginable!

I let myself drift away in the early memories of our friendship.

Tanya Black.


End file.
